The Demeaned Mistake
by thecrazystorywriter14
Summary: Judy hopes to become more romantically inclined with her police partner, Nick, who manages to slowly unlock these feelings in her. Unfortunately, an unsuspected visitor weakens Nick, tricking him into making a mistake that ruins his and Judy's Christmas Eve. Through trial, error, shocking revelation, and emotional exhaustion, the duo try to prepare for the upcoming Christmas.
1. Song

**YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THE LYRICS ARE REMOVED. THIS IS DUE TO COPYRIGHT CLAIMS AND INFRINGEMENT OF RULES. THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING.**

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 **The Demeaned Mistake**

 **By CrazyWriter (thecrazystorywriter14)**

 **Chapter 1 - Song**

 **December 23, 6:45 PM**

Normally when Nick Wilde walked into the police station with his fellow officer and girlfriend Judy Hopps, he found the lobby empty with excessive space. Normally the lobby would be lit by the daylight and the ceiling lights would be left unnecessary.

As Nick enters with Judy into that very room, there is no daylight, as it is evening. The ceiling lights shine dimly onto the well-furnished lobby – furnished with multiple tables, two lounge stations, a dance floor, and a snack table to quell hunger and thirst.

The dress of all officers attending is strictly formal - uniform with a tie - and only families of officers are additionally invited. Scattered among the tables are these various families - intelligible by the informal dress - and their related officers standing among them. Some officers – such as Judy and Nick – have little or no family attending, leaving them to socialize with their fellow peers.

Nick and Judy, after greeting various officers wandering about the floor, sit at a two-seat table. After a moment, Nick pulls himself into the table and leans in so only Judy can hear. "Hey, was it a mistake to come here? Nobody's here."

"What do you think, genius?" Judy replies smoothly. "We're ten minutes early."

"You want to get something to eat?" he says, and she shrugs and begins to stand. Nick shakes his head firmly. "Hey, I'll take care of it. I know what you like."

"Okay," Judy replies while Nick strolls off to the table. She leans back slightly but not so much to attract attention.

He returns a minute later with a plate of nachos, a small salad plate, and two tall glasses of clear liquid. "They said 'light refreshments'. I'd like to see what 'generous refreshments' look like. By the way, your drink's the less bubbly one. I got myself some clear sparkling cider."

"Thanks, Nick," Judy says, taking her food and taking small nibbles of it while looking around the room. "It looks like there are some more visitors."

"Oh, really?" Nick replies smugly, looking toward the door. "They invite people, you get people. What else?"

"Just statin' the facts," the burrow tone returns to her voice before disappearing again. She steals one of Nick's chips. "So, how do you normally spend Christmas?"

He flashes a quick smile, knowing this is not the first time she had asked the question. "Two years ago, I bought a little two-foot tree and put it on my counter. I don't even think I decorated it. That was, what, six months before I met you?"

"That sounds accurate. Did you go see family of some sort?" she steals another chip.

"I haven't done that in years. The last time I did do that was probably four years ago. Sometimes Finnick comes over and downs two cups of the eggnog I buy every year."

"That stuff's gross. I don't understand how you like it so much."

"It's genetic. My brother loves it, my parents do, my uncles, aunts, basically everybody. Well, except my grandma. She's not much of a fan."

"Same with me," she takes a sip of her water. "Besides Finnick and eggnog, what are your Christmas traditions?"

"I don't do much. I really wish I could make Christmas cookies or make candy canes like I've seen so many other people do."

Judy nods. "That sounds like an achievable dream. Anyway, we could go over to the lounge area and at least wish our officers a friendly 'happy holidays'," she stands from her chair.

"Not now. It's more pleasing to sit here."

"Oh, C'mon, Nick. It's not like they're going to kill you," she wraps her paw firmly around his forearm and lightly tugs on it. He reluctantly complies and follows her over to the corner of the lobby, where Fangmeyer and a few other officers remain.

"Well, the party's starting," Fangmeyer says as the duo approaches. Nick seats himself on the green sofa while Judy sits next to him, leaving a small gap between the two. "How 'ya been, Wilde?" Fangmeyer says.

"I could say fine, except I'm having an inconvenience at the moment," he glances at Fangmeyer and points his thumb at Judy. Fangmeyer flashes a quick smile.

"Hey," Judy complains playfully, delivering a poor blow to Nick's shoulder. He covers his shoulder in faux discomfort and rubs it despite it lacking pain.

"I don't have anyone else to tease but you, Carrots," Nick replies quickly. "You're my go-to besides my brother."

She looks at the ceiling and shakes her head. "Always you."

He ignores her and glances past Judy's roundish head, where the chubby Clawhauser stands cheerily. He waves eagerly at any officer passing by. Nick takes the opportunity of a separate conversation between Judy and Fangmeyer to approach the attendant. Clawhauser smiles happily as he approaches. "Why, isn't it our officer of the week? How are you doin'?"

"Fine, you?" Nick replies, looking around the room while Clawhauser explains his day quite generously. Nick nods occasionally to pass off a genuine listening factor in the monologue-like conversation. After Clawhauser's monologue, Nick pauses for a moment. "Interesting, big guy. Hey, remember what we talked about yesterday?"

"The coffee?"

"No, not that," Nick shows his teeth in an awkward grin, holds his two paws out in front of himself and moves his fingers rapidly in the air.

"Ah, yes, that. What about it?"

"You got it?"

"Sure, I got it. You wanted the mic too, right?"

"Yep, buddy. Where'd you put them?"

"Storage room two. Four-"

"Fourth door on the left. I know," he slowly walks away from Clawhauser but still faces him and walks with his back toward the hallway. "Hey, I really appreciate it. Check's coming Monday, I promise."

"Okay. Thank you for doing this."

"Gladly," Nick turns around and disappears behind the left wall of the hallway. He returns shortly with a rectangular case in his right paw, along with a cart of miscellaneous items. Nick stops at the corner of the lounge area and begins to unload the cart.

"Nick?" Judy looks at him, bewildered. "What are you doing?"

"Just setting up for a performer. He's supposed to be here any minute now."

Judy turns from him and continues with her conversation. Nick continues to unload the cart and eventually gets everything set up. Clawhauser pulls the cart to one side and then consults Nick. "You ready?"

"Sure. You know what to do."

Clawhauser nods and lumbers off. The quiet Christmas music that once played through the ceiling speakers ceases. Nick now stands in the spot where he anticipated the performer to stand. He taps on the microphone directly in front of him. "Testing, testing," Nick says softly, and his voice echoes through the lobby. Heads turn to Nick as he sits on the bench in front of the piano. There are two speakers at his sides and equipment designed to assist in the performance. "Good evening, everybody," Nick says, noticing Judy's stunned gaze. "I would like to perform a... _special_ tune. It's a parody of a song, and I changed the lyrics to appropriately fit the theme," he says, plugging a cord into the side of the piano. He plays a chord, which quietly emits from the speakers in the ceiling and next to him.

He begins to play a melody, starting from lower keys and ascending to higher keys. He plays the remaining portion of the melody, then begins to sing the song.

The words flow from his mouth. Each is carefully enunciated to allow proper understanding. Just when Judy starts getting into the song, the lyrics turn to her. Each word is carefully crafted to evoke the emotion he desires in her.

Nick resumes the melody from earlier and plays slowly until the song ends. He looks toward the audience as he lifts his paws from the piano. Judy looks at him with teary eyes, her mouth twisted into an odd smile, amused, embarrassed, and loving. She jumps up from her spot and embraces him fully. "Thank you, Nick. I loved that."

 **8:45 PM**

As the modern four-passenger vehicle continues on the highway, darkness passes on both sides of the pair of officers frequenting it. Coolness circulates throughout the car from the driver's open window, relieving - if any - tenseness or discomfort. Judy sits comfortably in the seat, her arms folded loosely on her lap. She takes even breaths, switching directions of her gaze from Nick to the road ahead. As she looks at him, she again imagines the perfected words he sang so beautifully, so... handsomely. The hand rest between them is the only barrier keeping her from cuddling herself up to him and feeling his warmth and protection.

Nick's left three fingers touch the steering wheel, being the only appendages keeping the car straight. He'd passed his driving test - admittedly - on his second try and failed his first attempt when he accidentally ran a red light. His driving instructor hadn't been the cheeriest after that. But after joining the police force, both his attention span and his reflexes had improved. He became more aware of his surroundings, more comfortable with driving, and more serious about operating a vehicle.

His right paw lays comfortably upon the armrest, almost begging Judy to lay hers upon his. His breaths are also calm, signifying the proudness he has in himself for performing well.

Judy cannot stop thinking about Nick's paw on the armrest and finds herself staring at it for longer than she should have. She glances away, but Nick's peculiar ability gives her away. "Carrots, if you're gonna do it, just do it."

Without replying, she carefully lays her right paw upon his. Immediately the warmth soothes her paw, prompting her to move his paw under his, and she locks their paws together with her three fingers side-by-side and her thumb topping his thumb. He has his paw in the same position as if he'd been expecting it.

"Not bad, Carrots," Nick says comfortably, keeping their grip locked. "A little insincere, but I like that."

"I would've backed away, but I'm glad you like it," she continues to embrace their linked paws. Her paw, so small, seems to fit his perfectly well. They had held paws before, but only to cross the street a couple weeks ago and when Judy's paws got a little too cold during Tundratown patrol. She has never held paws with different intentions.

"You didn't back away, so that shows me your bravery," he says, disconnecting their paws to take a left turn into Judy's apartment complex. As they turn in, Judy's mind races with indecisiveness.

 _Should I ask?_

"Carrots," Nick gestures toward the apartment doors, which he had just stopped ahead of. "You getting out, or what?"

"Yeah, yeah," Judy says, slowly exiting the car. She turns from the apartment doors and races toward the car door, where Nick's head is visible through the window frame. "Can I give you a hug?"

"How can I refuse?" Nick says, opening the door, stepping out, and slowly embracing her. Judy's frivolous dream in the car of embracing him is coming true. She feels that same warmth from his paw all over her frame, feeling the firmness of his bones underneath the comfort of his clothing. In seconds the warmth disappears, and Nick stands a foot or so away from her. "It was a nice night. See you tomorrow, then?"

"Yep. We have tomorrow off, right?"

"I think so. Why?"

"Well, I was wondering - well, I've been thinking..."

"Sorry to stop you, Carrots, but this feels like a replay of that time you tried to get me into the force. But don't let me stop you. Go on."

"I know, I know. I was just thinking, well, if you'd like to have me over tomorrow morning. I'd like to share a few Christmas Eve traditions."

"I'm all for it. You mind telling me what you're planning on doing for these traditions?"

"Actually, I do mind. It's going to be a surprise. I expect you to be surprised when I come over tomorrow."

"I'll try my best, Carrots. Goodnight, now," he says as he begins to enter his car.

"Yes, Nick," she giggles. "I'll see you soon. Oh, and Nick?"

"Yep?" he says, almost eagerly.

"We may have to go shopping first. I have to pick up some materials and I'd like your company."

"If that's what you want to do, Carrots, I'm all for it," he pauses, looking at her. "Bye now," Nick moves his head downward slightly, flashes a smirk, and drives away slowly, with enough time for Judy to flash a wave into his side mirror. She does not expect him to wave back in the way she had, and he doesn't. After a few moments, her buzzer on her phone goes off and she notices a string of waving paw emojis in a single text message from Nick.

An overwhelming warmth overcomes her as she enters the building, staring at the text message all the way to her room.


	2. Hopefully Not Too Harmful

**Chapter 2 - Hopefully Not Too Harmful**

 **December 24, 7:24 AM**

The sun peeks over the horizon and its rays illuminate the room where Judy stays, creeping over the furniture and enters various crevices and corners. The warmth seems to speed the city life from outside, cars becoming livelier and citizens quickly and enthusiastically walking the streets. No life form is available in the main room of the apartment, having remnants of a life form there, but whatever evidence left behind was well compromised. A sound of thousands of droplets hitting a floor becomes audible with a good ear.

Eventually, this sound dissipates. In seconds, a door leading into the main room swings open. Judy stands in the doorway, dressed in attire dotted with various Christmas items. She wears a red, long-sleeved sweater that covers a white shirt, whose collar is barely visible on her neck. She wears neat blue jeans with Christmas trees decorating the back pockets.

Judy gathers her things and exits. In a minute she arrives in the lobby, admiring the scarce, modern Christmas decorations within it. She exits, entering the warm atmosphere that is Savannah Central. She enters her car, fires up her engine, and departs.

She arrives at Nick's address within ten minutes, a feat considering his residence being a lengthy eight miles from hers. She pulls her car to a stop in the guest parking lot, exits her vehicle, and scampers to the facade of the apartment complex. Her eyes widen at the sight of the Christmas decorations beside the facade, including a tall Christmas tree and various wreaths hanging beside the doors. "Wow," Judy says to herself. There are two sets of double doors on the facade, along with a simple wall surrounding the doors that hugs the tall and wide building.

A bell jingles when she enters - the Christmassy type of bell - and a cheery room greets her. The room is painted a tan color, with chairs and couches lining the walls and a couple vending machines sitting in various parts of the small room. The floor is a blue carpet, and a counter, housing an administrator, sits on the opposite wall from the entry doors. There are few people there, most of them gone for the holidays. The room smells of a mix of pine and cinnamon.

Judy approaches the kind-looking mammal at the desk. She immediately looks up. "Hello, how may I help you?"

"Nick Wilde?" Judy asks.

"Yes, just a moment," the administrator types for a second before looking back at Judy. "Room three-o-nine. I'll ring him if you'd like."

"Sure."

She presses a button on her desk. "Nick, this is Susan. A Judy Hopps is here to see you."

"That's Carrots. Send her right up."

"Go right on up, sweetie," Susan says kindly. "Have a wonderful Christmas."

Judy departs for Nick's room. She takes the elevator to the third floor and looks into the hall as the elevator doors open. The walls are also tan with a red and green carpet lining the floors, coincidentally adapting the holiday theme. The hall still has Christmas decorations hanging on the walls and by the elevator despite this coincidence.

Judy takes a short walk through the hallway, tracing her fingers on the right wall while reading the nameplates next to the doors lining the left wall. "Three-o-seven, three-o-eight," Judy reads, arriving and Nick's room. "Ah, three-o-nine." She hesitates for a moment before knocking lightly.

The door opens, revealing Nick wearing a Christmas sweater with a large candy cane in the center, covering a white undershirt, whose collar is visible around his neck. He wears his undecorated, tan khakis. "Carrots! Glad you made it." They embrace, and Judy closes her eyes as she embraces him. She recognizes that same bodily warmth she had felt from him the night before.

Nick moves to the side and invites her in. "I tried decorating it with what I had, but it's not a lot," he says as humbly as he can.

"That's okay," Judy says, studying the inside of the apartment with her back still to the entry door. The walls are a light tan. To the right of where she stands is a small kitchen with various tools, a stand mixer, and a coffee pot placed accordingly. To the left of the kitchen is a small table with four chairs pulled into it. To the left of this dining room is a three-cushion couch with a medium television standing on a black end table against the far-left wall, forming the living room. As Judy enters farther into the apartment and turns left, there is a hall to the left of the television. Inside the hall are three doors, one closest to the entrance of the hall on the left wall, the second on the right wall, and the third on the farthest wall, the wall one would collide with if she would continue straight through the hallway.

A small Christmas tree stands on the counter. There are three black, cushioned stools pulled up to this counter. Light Christmas music plays through a speaker somewhere in the room. The room smells of a mix of Nick's cologne and light cinnamon.

As Judy turns to look at the closed entry door, she locates a wreath hanging from the door. "It's an okay place, isn't it?" Nick says, glancing around just as Judy is.

"It's cozy, Nick. I wish I had a place like this," she says, walking over to the nearly-bare Christmas tree and touching its fake leaves. "I think I know what we can do, Nick. First, we go shopping."

"Carrots, slow down. It's still early," Nick yawns and falls onto the couch. "It feels like five AM."

"C'mon, Nick. Don't you feel like spending your Christmas eve being productive? There's so much we can do today, and you just blow it off? C'mon. You want to make memories or not?"

"Fine, Carrots," he stands and lumbers over to the closet, producing a blue and black jacket. He slips it onto himself. He pulls the zipper up, but it sticks halfway up. He pulls the hood back behind his neck. "You ready?"

"You're not," she says, tugging at the stubborn zipper on his jacket and wiggling it. "Try it now."

The zipper ascends the jacket as if nothing was wrong. "Sly bunny. Any other tricks you can teach me?"

"I've got hundreds more. We've got the day, so, who knows? I might be able to check off at least twenty or more of the basics."

"I can see the headlines now: 'Fox Transformed by Bunny's Wisdom.' "

"I'm sure that'd make the news. Now," she claps her hands together with a smile on her face. "Let's get going, shall we?" Judy stops for a moment before a loud knock echoes the main room of the apartment.

"Must be the mailman," Nick pulls open the door. Just outside the door is a short, well-built, light-furred fox sporting no holiday attire. He wears a leather-like jacket atop a black undershirt and a pair of blue jeans. A pair of sports sunglasses is perched on his snout. "Finnick, why are you here at this _so inconvenient_ time?" Nick says, vexed. He strains the second to last word.

"Nick," Finnick says in his deep, menacing voice, "and Judith. The cop duo. The fuzz."

Now inside Nick's apartment, Finnick whips around to face Nick. Nick remains unfazed. "You know what I want, NP."

"Do I?" Nick says, looking at him. "No, I don't. But I do know that you're not wanted. So, leave us alone."

"See, Nick," Finnick pauses to make a full circle, making a light step-by-step patter as he ambles along. "You've gotten better, I respect that. But you still can't match the intellect, the wit, or the logic that I have."

"Are you challenging me?"

"Nick, that got old years ago. You know I'm not fooled. I'm the one who taught you all that stuff. Does Nicky-wicky want to stawt wit the basics again?"

"You'll be startin' with the basics if you don't leave when I say. It's my property, and you know that both Judy and I have the authority."

"To what, arrest me? I ain't doin' nothing illegal."

"I'd think there's enough that you've done where I could put you behind bars right now."

"Isn't that so? Name one thing that I've done that's illegal."

"Tax evasion, trickery, deceit, lying to authority, trespassing... do you want me to go on?"

"For one, the money's yours. You earned it all. Two, trickery ain't illegal. And I was stretching the truth then. And the trespassing... well, I don't remember doin' any of that. You don't have no proof either."

"Fin, remember when you taught me about finding the weak spot?"

"How can I forget?"

"Keep that in mind for a second. Carrots, stay here and arrest him if needs be," Nick scampers off and returns with a sizable file. "Ah, Finnick Kozlov. Let's see here," Nick opens the file and thumbs through it. "Warning, warning, fine, warning, fine, accusation... the list goes on," he looks up with a smug smirk.

"Where'd you get that?" Finnick says, reaching for the folder. Nick pulls it away as if expecting it.

"What do you mean? I thought you knew I'm an officer. I have all your records, including what you've sold illegally, what you've bought that's against the law, and - lookie here," Nick pulls out a small piece of paper. "'Finnick Kozlov was charged on September 30, 2017, for illegally possessing a handgun owned by a young deer."

Finnick's countenance is, oddly, surprised. He looks afraid, and he holds up his paws. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry."

"Knew it," Nick raises his paws in the air. "All along - you know you aren't as innocent as you think you are. Now, considering your most recent offense, you should probably be in jail right now."

"Wait a minute," Finnick snags the paper from Nick. "Hah! I knew it! I knew I didn't recognize that - lookie there. Exempted."

Nick takes the paper, trying to locate the stamp Finnick had pointed out.

"Nick!" Judy yells.

In seconds, only he and Judy remain in the apartment without the folder. Only the single offense stays in Nick's paw. "He slipped out with the folder while you and I were looking at the offense. We should have been looking out more carefully."

"Well, this is great, just great. If he gets away with that folder, he'll burn it, get it anywhere he can find it to keep it from us," he starts down the hallway, Judy following close behind. "Isn't it digitally backed up?"

"We got his full file only recently," she follows Nick down the stairs. "Our digital scanner was broken, remember? They asked you to take special care of Finnick's file while they tried to fix the scanner."

Nick feels like cursing. "That's not good. And on Christmas Eve, too. Um, what should we do?"

"Let's see how fast we can track him down. Do you have your radio?" The two race outside the doors.

"No, I left it at the station. Yours?"

"In my car," Judy opens her vehicle and they enter. Judy exits the parking lot. "We're gonna have to race over to the station, get in our uniforms, and get the heck out there. Wait - does Finnick have a car?"

"I believe so. Hard to tell if he brought one or not. If you see two light-tan ears and two paws driving an orange van, that's him."

"Okay, plan B," Judy pulls over to the side of the road. "The station's ten miles up - we'll never make it in time. Pull on your spare uniform on the back - I put two extra of our sizes in the back just in case. I'll stay up by the front and make a few radio transmissions."

"Are you crazy?" Nick says, still in the passenger's seat. "I can't do that - there's no room there!"

"Got any better ideas, genius? Go change in the bushes if you feel so inclined. All I know is that I got some calls to make. Just get it done."

Nick sighs, and they both exit the vehicle. Judy positions herself in front of the vehicle, and Nick grabs the spare uniform and jumps into the back seat of the car.

"Dispatch, this is Officers Wilde and Hopps, over," Judy speaks into the radio.

"Dispatch to Wilde-Hopps. State your issue." Clawhauser asks.

"Nick's former con-buddy Finnick stole the file from Nick just a minute ago. That's one of the few files not backed up in the system."

"Okay. We'll see who we can call over. Is he driving or on foot?"

"We still don't know. Nick thinks he's driving."

"What's the car look like?"

"An orange truck with some crazy symbols on them. We'll send you the plate number as soon as we can. We're still solving our dilemma with uniforms and vehicles."

"Location?"

"We're about a quarter-mile west of Nick's apartment complex, the Dranger and Compon intersection. We don't know where Finnick could have gone."

"10-4," Clawhauser says. Nick returns from the car, fully dressed in the snug uniform. Judy's feelings for Nick almost overcome her, but she pushes them away.

"Nick, I got to get my uniform on. You call your apartment complex and ask their security to search for Finnick - and..."

"Don't worry, Carrots. I know what to say." He pulls out his phone and dials the number for the complex. After a short chat, Nick puts his phone away and waits for Judy. She is already in the front seat, knocking on the windshield to call for him. Nick walks to her window, and she starts the engine, pulling down the window to see him.

"Nick, grab the spare light from the back and stick it on the top if you will."

Nick easily complies with her request and then gets back into the car. "That's more like it," she says, revving the engine and switching the car into drive. She slams on the gas pedal as if a ten-ton weight holds her foot down. She flips a switch and the deafening screech of the police siren penetrates the air, signaling nearby cars to pull to the side of the road. With the road clear, she scans the road. "Look for him."

"Got it, Carrots," he says, unfazed.

Judy continues for a minute longer before gripping both paws on the steering wheel. "Hold onto your tail," she says firmly, performing a quick U-turn onto the opposing road, the wheels of the car screeching unnaturally. With this fact the last concern on her mind, she increases her speed yet again down the road.

"There's his car!" Judy says, looking toward the side of the road about a quarter mile ahead. She slams on the brakes, turning onto the shoulder. "Nick, lock the doors. You have the tools?" she says as the two exit the vehicle.

"Besides my _better_ wit, my intelligence, and my strength? Yes."

"Not the time, Nick," she says, not looking at him. "Take a turn into the trees that way," she points right, the side of the shoulder. "I will curve around that way," she points left in a circular pattern, "and I will approach him. If he tries to get away, shoot."

"Shoot him? That's a terrible idea!"

"Not _him_ , Nick! His _tires_!"

The two mammals approach the vehicle at their own pace. About ten feet before reaching it, she looks right but does not see him. She looks back to the car.

Nick now stands ten feet from the right of the vehicle. He approaches the vehicle slowly, then abandons his carefulness and darts to the vehicle. He searches desperately around the vehicle, then puts his back to the door while rubbing his eyes. "That's his car, all right," Nick says, sighing. "He's not in there. That's a problem."

Judy approaches the driver's side door and carefully opens it. It squeaks slightly as it opens, and a nimbus of warmth, body odor, and light cigarette smoke overcomes her. She enters the vehicle, unfazed, and begins to examine it. She looks under cushions, atop the dashboard, and in other crevices and corners. Nick grips the corner of the glove box and pulls it open. "Carrots."

Judy glances over to him. In his paw is a tan file folder labeled "KOSLOV". Nick opens the folder and paws through it. "There's some in here, but I definitely disagree that everything's there. Hey, at least he left the file here, that's the good part."

"But where would he go? He left the file and probably took the most intimidating of the accusations. Who knows what he's done with them now."

"We're not done yet, Fluff," he says, searching in the compartments separating the two front seats. He picks up some spare change and a permanent marker. "The change I can reason with. I'm begging that he didn't do anything too harmful to those documents with this pen."

 **Don't worry - the story's not over yet, and there will be more Christmas and New Years in the next chapter, which is to be released January 6, 2018, at 11 PM (UTC). There may be more chapters after that. For now I will work on A Time of Crime, as I am not satisfied with it yet. Enjoy your Christmas and New Year.**

 **This is my last chapter of 2017. I have done much over the year, including writing a new story (which was deleted Friday the 15th). Thank you for all who helped me this year.**

 **Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!**

 **\- CrazyWriter**


	3. I Really Did Mean It

**Chapter 3 - "I Really Did Mean It"**

"Why isn't he here?" Nick asks Judy, almost as if asking the car door. "It doesn't make sense that he'd leave _any_ part of the file here."

"I thought you would be able to understand his logic. I thought he taught you everything he knew back then."

"That was ten years ago," he says. "I'm sure he adapted some other form of robbing banks and stealing, plus a backup if he got caught. If I were him, I would've just burned the file and got on my way. No sense to make a hassle out of such a simple problem."

She pauses. "No, Nick. I know _exactly_ what this is. He's wasting our time."

"What do you mean?" Nick says.

"Here's what I mean," Judy looks to the back of the car. "I caught that in the corner of my eye when we got here. Look."

Sitting comfortably in the back seat of the car is a large chest, spacious enough to fit Judy if she curled into a ball. It has a black, plastic appearance to it, and touching reveals a metallic interior. Judy examines the front of the chest, where a single button sits in between the lid and the base of the chest. She presses it and the chest opens harmlessly.

The two officers turn their heads toward one another slowly. Judy's lips are pressed together while Nick raises both eyebrows. "Well, that was easy. What's in there?" he asks.

Judy reaches into the box and brings out a small stack of papers, each one having a unique shape, size, and thinness. "It's the rest of the accusations," Judy says. "Are you sure we have the real Finnick?"

"It looks like 'ol Finnick is a little off his rocker, a few brush strokes short of a masterpiece."

"Here's what I said about him wasting our time. He intimidated and tricked us into believing that he was going to destroy all these accusations. Guess what now? We have all fifty-two accusations back in our paws and a _very_ simple but strange file report going on his record. Maybe he isn't a little off his rocker, he sandbagged us."

"Well, well, well. I see that Hopps, ahem, _cracked the case_ ," Finnick says, impersonating Bogo with the last three words. One of his paws grip the back of the passenger seat and the other is free. He is still in the same clothes he wore when he made his visit. Nick twiddles the permanent marker in one paw while Judy glares at Finnick. He backs up in faux fear. "Look, guys, Hopps was right all along. I _did_ sandbag you, and I did well.

"First, I made Nick look stupid and demeaned by stealing something he could have so easily protected and absolutely crushing him in a wit battle," Finnick flashes a smug smile at Nick. "Then, I drove over here, set up a camera connected to my phone," he points to the small camera hidden at the top corner of the van, "then I hid in the bushes until one of you was clever enough to crack the case. See what I did there? I was just playin' a joke on you two. A harmless Christmas joke."

Judy looks at Nick, eyes wide. They both look at Finnick. "Joke?" Nick says, voice rising. He opens the side door and jumps out, handing Judy out before shutting it forcefully. Finnick jumps from the passenger side and leaves the door ajar.

"You caused more than twenty officers to jump up from their break and begin searching the city for you," Nick says. "I had to get my apartment manager to drive twenty minutes to my apartment complex, where he asked his security, ten minutes away, to speed over here and thoroughly inspect every crack in that apartment complex." He points angrily at the building. "More importantly, you wasted the time of Judy and me who hoped for a relaxing and uneventful Christmas Eve. I hope you're happy."

"That's what the joke includes, N. I can't help invigorating the city once and a while. This part of the city needed some excitement, anyway."

"It's not the city who got excited, Finnick. It was _you_. Want me to spell it out for you? Y - O - U. Not me, _you._ Not some other person walking the street or even the police force - _you_. You exhausted the police, exhausted my apartment manager, and exhausted twenty-two police officers - including Judy and me. We don't seek exhaustion, and if I want to be invigorated, I'd seek it from anybody but you. It wasn't exciting, it was boring and useless now that I figured you played a quote-unquote, 'harmless joke' on us."

"It was another technique I showed you. Sandbagging is a good one, isn't it?"

"When we saw your techniques, even _with_ the explanation we still think you're three peas short of a pod. If you tried to make _us_ look stupid and tried to demean me with your pathetic wit, you're mistaken. Look what you did - you made a mistake that demeaned you. Look, you just gave yourself away by taping the whole scene," he walks forward and seizes Finnick's cell phone. He slips it into his pocket and pulls out a warrant. "Search warrant. We can take anything from you we feel needs to be removed."

Nick looks at Finnick firmly. Nick steals Judy's communicator from her belt and brings it to his mouth. Finnick looks genuinely surprised. "Dispatch, Wilde here. We've got a suspect who executed a _very_ disappointing plan."

There is silence on the other end. "What do you mean, _disappointing_?"

"He gave us all that we needed to arrest him while giving us _more_ evidence to put him on trial."

"That _is_ disappointing," Clawhauser says. "Where are you?"

"Just across from the apartment complex. Turns out he decided to give himself away too early for us to have some _real_ fun with this case."

"Okay, over. ETA one minute."

Nick hands the communicator back to Judy and produces a pair of handcuffs, pinning them back to Finnick. Judy takes his wrists and Nick faces him again. "Fin, it really seems that there's a catch to this. You let yourself go so fast, and it looks like you didn't prepare well enough unless you're lying to us and have something else. Are you sure you're done?"

"Yes, N. You got me this time." He smooths out his shirt then runs his paws through the fur atop his head. "Are you wondering why the results came out so poorly?"

"The suspense is killing me. Spill the beans, Fin."

"Well, N, it's complicated. The guilt is getting to me from what I've done over the years. I'm losing my usual income, and since you're no longer paying me, I'm losing money, fast." He licks his lips, going silent for a moment. "I can't get government money because I'm a criminal. Plus, since I'm losing my reputation in most of the bars and clubs I go to, I have to live on the street alone. There's nobody to be with. I feel just like I did when I picked you up that one day when you were just a little pup outside that scout place. Lost, alone. I have to be with somebody. The big house is a good place to start."

"That's not a clever way to think of that, Fin," Nick says. "You could have easily stayed with Judy and I. Carrots saw how meek you were after our last encounter in Savannah Central. We would have welcomed you warmly. But now, since your - ahem - _entertainment_ places are starting to demean you, you made a mistake. You made a demeaned mistake to think that Judy and I are too dumb to know your tactics, and I have to admit, your most recent was especially irregular. Now, after you make this mistake, you're not really going to the big house yet. I think it's four hundred hours of community service. Hey, you can meet some new people and have a chance to put those three peas back in your pod, one at a time."

The backup police pull up to the curb, dragging small Finnick toward the police car along with the file and Finnick's cell phone. Finnick stops the officers with the extension of one paw, a tactic Nick had never seen before. "N, I have to at least make a point here before I disappear."

Nick sighs and turns from Judy. "Whatever you say. Officers, bring him a little closer."

The officers abreast of Finnick lead him closer to Nick so that they face each other with a two-foot gap in between. "Don't you remember me as a father figure, the one who picked you up from baseball practice and helped you earn all that money?" He gives a subdued laugh. "All those good times we had?"

"This may sting a little bit, Fin, but what's the purpose of staying with you?" Finnick's mouth gapes slightly at Nick's comment. Nick smirks at him. "Look at my life. I used to be a con artist with the same routine every day. I had nobody, even you, to appreciate me. All you did was want the money - that is _all_ you've ever wanted.

"But what happened?" Nick reaches his paw back and spans Judy's shoulders. "I met Judy. She appreciates me. She helps me." Nick looks at her for a second, tears developing in his eyes. He grips her shoulder and shakes it a little bit. A weary smile crosses his face. "She reminds me of my mother." He looks at Judy, who blinks before staring at him softly. A smile crosses her face and she spans her paw across his back, rubbing his ribs lightly.

Finnick is speechless and looks at the two figures. Nick rubs his eyes with his one free paw, and Judy smiles weakly, her eyes wetting. She tilts her head and rests it on his shoulder, which he relaxes. He presses his lips together and blinks, fighting tears, staying quiet for a moment.

"One more thing." Nick fights the emotion coming to him. He releases his grip on Judy's shoulder, prompting her to lift her head. He steps forward, narrowing his eyes, clenching his jaw. "Unless you can change, you are dead to me. You hear that? Dead to me.

"With a record like yours, I don't know why I wasn't ashamed being around you. Now? I can't bear to even be around you without evoking memories - those memories that I realize aren't what I wanted in my childhood."

Finnick looks at him, letting out a long breath. "You know what? I thought I wanted you. I thought you were someone who appreciated me, but I guess I was wrong." The officers start to drag Finnick back to the police van. "You want me to say it? You're useless." His eyes darken. "You're a goody-goody, useless pet."

Nick does not look surprised at his comment. "If that's what it takes for me to stay away from you, then I'll take it with open arms. Goodbye, Fin. Maybe some time cleaning up the park and at the big house will give you some time to think about what I said. Here are my last words for you: if you want me to accept you again, I need a changed Finnick, not some criminal who is an enthusiast in excessive and sometimes inappropriate entertainment. I want someone to look up to and admire." He gestures at Judy. "Right now, that's Judy and if you can't change, don't come crawling back with an unclean slate. It's your problem, not mine." He looks away from him, walking back slowly to Judy's position. "Officers, take him away."

Standing abreast with Judy, Nick looks to the floor and closes his eyes while Finnick harshly screams profanity out the ajar door. It ceases after the door closes and the car rolls away, Finnick's silhouette against the back window of the car as it disappears around the corner.

Nick lets out a heavy sigh and drops his shoulders. Judy grins at him and squeezes his right paw between her two. "You meant every word you said?"

He looks at his open palms. "Yes, I did. He messed up my life." He stays silent for a moment, avoiding eye contact with her. "But I have to give him credit." He looks at her with a smile. "I wouldn't have met you if I didn't meet him."

"Not just that, Nick. The mother part. The part where we got all emotional?"

"Yes, I really did mean it. Every word."

She embraces him. "Thank you."

"Lesson of the day?" Nick asks Judy as they enter his apartment again. The front door mat is ruffled from their quick departure that day, and the cinnamon scent that once lingered in the air is now gone. The air is cool because Nick left the window open a crack before Judy arrived that morning. The room envelops a feeling of leisure around the two figures, allowing them to relax their muscles and gradually approach the couch in the living room, Judy plopping down before Nick, who does the same about fifteen seconds later. Nick is on her right, Judy on his left side.

"What was it that you said?" Judy says, looking at Nick. He is sitting a couple of inches from her. "Some type of lesson?"

"It was, 'what was the lesson of today?'"

"Don't be three peas short of a pod?"

"Yes. Also, don't take risks after someone's put you down beyond what self-doubt can take you," Nick says. "A.K.A. Finnick."

The silence encompasses them, the emotion from before lingering in the room. Judy tilts her head again, resting it on his shoulder. She closes her eyes, taking a relaxed breath, eventually becoming a series of semiconscious breaths. His muscle tenses as he spans her shoulders with his left arm, then it relaxes again. He closes his eyes and tilts his head to rest on the top of the backrest. The fabric is cool and comforting.

Her eyes remain closed when she poses a question. "What other comparisons did you make up besides the peas in the pod one?" The question cuts the silence like butter.

"I don't know," he yawns, eyes closed, removing his paw from her shoulders and stretching both over his head. He produces a high-pitched noise from his throat, making her smile. He settles his paws behind his head to support his neck. "A few brush strokes short of a masterpiece, a few revolutions short of a tightened nut, a few cups short of a gallon."

"There were a few there you made up on the spot, didn't you?" she asks softly, eyes still closed.

"Maybe, maybe not."

She stays silent for a moment. "What's the best one you can make up?"

"How about a few steps short of a plan?"

"Too bland. How about a few components short of a carrot pen?"

"Works for me." He uncrosses his legs, only keeping one of his ankles over the other. He moves his paws to his lap and yawns silently. "I'm going to take a nap if that's okay with you."

"Me too. We'll go shopping later."

"Even if I wasn't tired, I would always want to go shopping later."

Judy can't help but smile.

* * *

 **11:43 AM**

Her eyes open, looking at the television in front of her. She stretches her legs, then relaxes them against the foot of the couch. She yawns, rubbing her eye with her paw. She rubs her feet back and forth against the carpet to warm them.

She glances to her right. Nick is asleep, his neck flaccid on the top of the backrest. His left arm as up against her leg, something she had not noticed when she awoke. His right arm is up against his leg.

She shifts her weight slowly to not wake her partner, then stands. She shuffles across the floor, glancing at the clock on the wall to the right of the couch before entering the hallway. To her left is the first door, just against the entrance of the hallway on the left wall. She opens it to find a somewhat unorganized room with an unmade bed, clothing strewn in various places of the room. She closes that door and opens the one on the right wall just ahead. The room is slightly smaller and organized. It has a closet, a neatly made bed, and an end table with a lamp.

She proceeds to the next door, which is at the end of the hallway. She opens it, inspecting the room. The floors are a clean white tile and the walls are tan. To her direct right while facing the room is a white grate suspended a couple inches below the floor, creating a large cavity. The walls of the cavity are made of stainless steel.

Ahead of this strange contraption, on the right wall, is a white toilet, and beside that is a towel rack. In front of the toilet is a rug that hugs the base of it. Across from the toilet, on the left wall, is a sink embedded in a counter. Above this sink, on the wall, is a mirror. At the back of the room, a two-in-one tub shower sits.

Judy closes the door behind her as she enters. She places her paws on the counter around the sink and looks in the mirror, her reflection staring back at her. The fur atop and around her head is mussy, so she runs her paws through it and eventually resorts to the sink water to tame it. She is wearing her police uniform she had donned, prompting her to remember how she had donned it - in the back of the car. She presses her lips together and sighs. _Great. I left my clothes in the back of the car._

She grabs her keys and quietly leaves the room, being sure to close the door behind her after entering the hallway. She lets out a sigh and places her paw over her heart. Although relieved by leaving, a thought nags her that she should be guilty of feeling this way. She lets it linger for a moment before ridding herself of it.

She paces to her car, unlocking it and opening the back-right door, prompting a consistent beep that lasts about five seconds, although it seems much longer. She climbs to the back, surprised to find Nick's clothes also. She gathers his and her clothes, each set of clothes in a different arm, then exits her car and locks it. She hikes back to the apartment and takes the elevator back up to the hallway. She opens the apartment door after finding it locked, then enters and shuts the door behind her.

Nick is still asleep on the couch, both his arms in his lap. She smiles at him, setting his clothes on the cushion beside him and walks to the bathroom, changing her clothes and relieving herself before emerging in her casual clothes. She examines Nick again while heading toward the kitchen. She surrenders to the dining chair behind the couch, only able to see the back of Nick's head from that position.

After ten minutes of scanning her phone, she sets it face down on the table and walks up to Nick. She grips his shoulder and jerks him awake, his eyes fluttering open before meeting hers. "Hey, Judy. Is it Christmas?"

"No, silly. It's only been..." she glances at the clock, reading 12:01 PM, "...about two hours. Do you have anything to eat? I'm starving."

"I think so." He eases into a standing position and saunters into the kitchen, shaking his head quickly to wake himself. He opens the refrigerator doors, pushing near-empty jars and containers around and surrenders a jar of jelly, setting it on the counter. He moves a half loaf of packaged bread next to the jelly. He searches through a couple cabinets before discovering a jar of peanut butter and setting it with the other materials. "I hope you like PB&J's because I haven't been shopping for a while. There's milk to drink."

"Okay," Judy says, getting right to work on the sandwiches. "I got your clothes from the car. If you want them, anyway."

He doesn't reply, picking up the clothes on the couch. "Okay," he says.

"You seem really down today. Was it Finnick?"

"I guess..." he says, shrugging. "I'm going to go get changed," he says slowly and apathetically. "You can make a sandwich for me if you have the time." He ambles off toward the bathroom.

Her mind wanders as she prepares the sandwiches. _I got to get a way to cheer him up._ A smile crosses her face as the previous night's conversation enters her mind. _I got it._

Nick returns from the bathroom, his clothes mussy. He tries to smooth his shirt, but to no avail. His expression is boring - his mouth flat and an unfocused gaze -, arousing a tightness in her chest. It releases again after she remembers her plan. She brings two sandwiches to the table, then returns to the kitchen and brings two glasses of milk.

He is now in the chair, his fist supporting his head. He avoids her gaze, taking a small bite of his sandwich and sip of the milk. "How'd you sleep?" he asks quietly, looking at her without a smile.

"Fine. You looked cozy when you were sleeping, so I assume you slept well also?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." His intonation barely changes. He produces his phone from his pocket, staring at it.

"Nick." He looks up to her serious gaze, her eyebrows squished together. "It's Christmas Eve - you should be happy. Instead, you're all bored and tired."

He rubs his eyes with an open paw and lets out a heavy sigh. "I can't hide anything from you, can I?" He lets out an insincere laugh. "My mind is racing with all the things I said about Finnick. I was stupid. He didn't deserve it."

"Why did you say those things?"

"Because I was angry. I was worried that he would ruin our partnership in the force. I was frustrated with his joke, so I insulted him. I got really angry when he insulted me back." He goes silent, holding his face in his hands.

"Nick, he did something that I believe justified your feelings for him. Everyone gets angry once and a while. Has this happened before with him?"

He looks up. "Yes, but I've never felt this way after the fact."

"It's being with the police, Nick. It's unlocking your softness while simultaneously strengthening your good spots. It's teaching you that you are a fallible fox. I'm fallible. Finnick's fallible. Everyone in Zootopia is fallible." She pauses. "We all make mistakes. Look inside yourself and realize that there is something in there called guilt. It may not seem like it at first, but it's a good thing for you. It's a little voice saying that somewhere in your heart, you love him. Don't feel bad if you feel that."

He takes a deep breath and looks up at her, a smile on his face. "I agree, Carrots." His eyes are wet, but the muscles around them comply with his smile. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I thank you for cheering up when I tried my best to cheer you up."

"How can anybody _not_ be cheered up when they hear a speech like that?" He looks down at the table, smiling. "How many rabbits does it take to change a lightbulb?"

"I don't know - three?"

"None. They're too short to reach it."

She rolls her eyes, shaking her head. "How many Nicks does it take to change a lightbulb?"

"One."

"You don't need him to change the lightbulb. He just looks at the light bulb and it changes itself."

He raises his eyebrows, a smile crossing his face. "Clever. How many rabbits does it take to solve a case?"

"I honestly don't know," Judy says.

"It doesn't matter. They all become meter maids."

"If you weren't so far away, I'd hit you."

* * *

 **2018 Update: A new chapter of this story is currently being drafted and is scheduled to be released on Saturday, December 22, 2018 at 12:30 AM UTC. Please note this date is subject to change.**


	4. She Loved Me

**Chapter 4—She Loved Me**

 **December 24, 6 p.m.**

"So, what did he say?"

Nick chuckles and shakes his wet paws into the sink. "He said, 'doggone it, there's the guy who conned me.' And I told him, 'I'd do it again if I wasn't a police officer.'"

Judy laughs and runs a knife lengthwise through a carrot. "Without you, Nick, I'd be—"

"Empty? Underrated? Unappreciated?" He gestures to a drawer. "I'll get a pencil."

"I was going to say un _loved_ , but I think unappreciated works too." Judy pauses with her knife blade sitting still on the cutting board.

Nick stops moving the towel in his hands. He slowly turns around. "Fluff, did you just flirt with me?"

"I don't know. I thought you'd know considering you do it more than me." She goes back to cutting her carrot.

He finishes drying his paws and sets the towel on the counter. "Well said." He walks over to the fridge and brings out a blue carton, then takes a glass from a nearby cupboard and fills the glass halfway with a dull, cream-colored liquid. He brings it to his mouth, then sets it down with a clink. "Oh, that's good."

Judy looks up. "Eggnog? Really?" She suddenly starts laughing.

"What?"

"You have an eggnog mustache." She takes a tissue from a nearby tissue box and hands it to him.

"Thanks." He chuckles and dabs his upper lip, then takes another swig of the drink. "Yes, that hits the spot."

"Before you get diabetes from eggnog, grab me a bowl," Judy says. Nick sets down his cup and stares at her. Judy sighs. " _Please_."

"That's more like it, Cottontail." He takes a bowl from the lower cupboard and passes it to her, quickly returning to his eggnog. "Say, Carrots, I just got an idea."

"Hold on." She takes another tissue and ambles over to Nick. She stands on her toes and dabs his mouth, then returns to her seat. "Alright. What were you saying?"

"I said I have an idea."

She turns the carrot and begins cutting it widthwise. "As much as I'd like to say no, curiosity never killed the bunny, so shoot."

"Don't count on it. How about we have a little Christmas celebration after dinner? You know, we horse around with a few games instead of watching the football game."

"Sounds fun. Of course, the sooner we get to eating, the sooner we'll get to that." She gestures to the stove. "Get some water going. I'd like to have Christmas Eve dinner on Christmas Eve."

"Pretty good salad, Carrots." Nick chews the first bite of his meal, poking a few lettuce leaves with his fork and holding them up. He looks down at his plate for a moment and fills his mouth with the leaves. He hovers his fork over the pile of pasta on his plate and goes back to the salad.

Judy watches this for a minute. "You don't like pasta?"

"This could use a little sauce."

"Hey, you're the one who doesn't go shopping. Your fridge is almost completely empty."

"Yeah, I keep putting that off, don't I?" He looks at the pasta again. "I'm sure I have some sauce around here somewhere."

"Just eat it, Nick. It's not like not having pasta sauce will kill you." She glances at the counter. "There's some parmesan there."

"That wouldn't hurt." He stands up and takes it from the counter, shakes it over his food, and sets it on the table as he sits down.

She looks at him for a moment while taking a bite of her own food. She swallows, then says, "You still thinking about Finnick?"

He shrugs. "I guess. I've seen him go to jail before, but I haven't really _caused_ that, you know?" He stabs a piece of pasta and holds it to his mouth.

"Want to talk about it?"

He bites the pasta off the fork and chews, pausing for a few seconds. "I dunno."

"Let's try this: What feels different this time than all the other times Finnick's gone to jail?"

"I still feel that 'you-got-what-you-deserved' feeling, but it feels like I just handcuffed my long-lost brother in the middle of a family party. I guess you could say it's guilt."

"Would you mind telling me a little about how Finnick found you?"

He smirks. "Didn't I tell you already?'

She shakes her head. "No."

"Well, then. I think telling a story would be better than enumerating."

* * *

 _TWENTY-FOUR YEARS EARLIER_

 _NEAR SCOUT TROOP_ _914_ _BUILDING_

Nick's frail, trembling body was pressed against the side of the building's staircase, and he wore a wet, dull-green scout uniform with a red handkerchief, which was ripped at the corner. His heart pounded in his chest, alongside pain resonating from his heart and throat. He coughed, staring at the upturned muzzle on the wet pavement in front of him.

The rain dampened his fur, hiding his tears that had once left trails of dampness on his cheeks. The wind didn't help either, finding its way inside the openings in his clothing. He suddenly shivered. Had anyone seen him right then, they would have mistaken the shivering for trembling. The flesh atop his snout constricted, his eyes closed and paws flaccid at the wrists.

His mind reeled with whether to run or stay huddled against the wall. His little eight-year-old mind struggled with the decision, going over what his naïveté could offer of pros and cons of each situation. _Run, I'll get lost. Stay, someone can find me._

His mind wanted to stay. His heart wanted to run, find his mom. But that wasn't possible. _I wanted her to stay longer,_ he thought.

He looked up when sirens blared and police lights lit up the sky and reflected off the wet pavement, painting it a wavy red-blue. Three police cars and an ambulance were stopped at the curb just adjacent to the platform in front of the stairs. Someone threw open the doors and ran up the stairs, and one rhino, one lion, and one badger officer followed them. The driver's door to the last police car opened, and a fox with triangular ears stepped out, running over to Nick huddled in the corner. Something about his blue, three-quarter-opened eyes had power to them. "Hey, sonny. Are you okay?"

He shrugged. "I dunno." He gestured toward the upside-down muzzle on the ground.

The officer ambled over to it and picked it up, shaking the water from its metallic frame. "They put this on you?"

Nick nodded.

"Are these them?" the wolf said, gesturing to the staircase. The first officer who had entered exited first, followed by the three officers and the four offenders.

"I told you, you've got the wrong guy!" the beaver said.

"Can you explain this?" The wolf officer held up the muzzle.

"It was just sitting out here."

"You guess it was just sitting out here? You realize these are illegal, right? You need a special permit only approved for psychologists and police officers to buy one." He looked at him. "Where'd you get it?"

He closed his eyes. "The fox doesn't deserve this."

He looked at Nick, then back at the beaver. "You didn't answer me. Where did you get this?"

The beaver looked down. "I stole it."

"Your dad's an officer?"

He shook his head.

"Then where did you steal this from?"

"I'm sorry, okay? It was just sitting in the chest!"

"Where?"

"Across the street."

"The Hem-Baxter building. Figures." He smiled. "And to answer whether or not the fox deserves our help, I say, of course he does. He reserves the right to a family, a home, and any activities without discrimination, just like anybody else." He smiled a little at Nick, then glared at the beaver. "You, sir, reserve the right to remain silent. Anything you do or say can..."

The wolf officer's voice faded as he walked farther from Nick. He helped put all four delinquents into the police car, each one complaining just like the first. Within minutes, the two police cars were gone. Nick looked up at the approaching wolf officer. "Where are your parents?"

"At home," Nick said.

"Do you know where that is?"

He nodded.

"Would you like a ride?"

He gave a furtive nod.

The wolf helped Nick off the floor and led him to the police car, but didn't open the door. One paramedic, a badger, approached Nick with a white, rectangular box with a red plus sign in the center. "I'm Dr. Amelson. You're Nick, right?"

He nodded.

"Are you okay?"

"Nothing hurts."

"Did they hurt you?"

Nick hesitated. "They pushed me down."

"Let's check that head of yours." He expertly palpated the back of Nick's scalp, pushing aside his dark fur at one part. "There's a bump, but that's normal if you fall down. Did they do anything else?"

"Not really. They forced the muzzle on me."

He touched Nick's face with two gloved paws. "There's a little bruising around your eyes and snout, but it should heal up in a few days." He looked into his eyes. "Anything else?"

He hesitated for about five seconds. "They kicked me."

"Where?"

"In the leg." He gestured to his foot.

"Does it hurt?"

"Only a little."

"May I look at it?"

He pulled at his pant leg, but stopped. The doctor looked up. "It's okay, Nick."

Nick looked over at the ambulance. "Okay." He pulled up his pant leg and pointed to the spot.

The doctor touched around the ankle. "Nothing major. Just a little bruising." Nick pushed his pant leg back down, and the doctor smiled and turned to the officer. "He should be fine. Just take him home to his parents and tell them what happened." He nodded at Nick again, walked to the curb, and stepped onto the ambulance, smiling and waving as it inched away. Its sirens wailed, and the doctor shut the back doors. It drove off and turned the corner, sound fading slowly.

"Let's get you home." He opened the car door. "What are your parents' names?"

Nick froze. "I don't have any."

"What do you mean?"

"My mom died three weeks ago."

"You told us that you have parents."

"Not real ones."

He bit his lip. "No dad, then?"

Nick shook his head. "He left before I was born."

He lowered his eyebrows. "Who have you been living with?"

Nick just shrugged.

"I can take you to my place for a few days if you'd like."

Nick looked at the car door and remained silent.

"Hey, kiddo." Someone's voice came a few feet from them. It was a deep, raspy voice.

Nick looked up. The officer turned his head. "Who are you?"

A fennec fox with a black shirt and tan shorts stood in front of them, smiling. His ears were quite large, about the size of his head. "I'm Finnick. I've been thinking of adopting this little tyke."

The police officer looked at him. "Nick, this is serious. Can you tell me if you've met this fox before?"

He nodded slowly. "Yep. He wants me to call him Uncle Finnick."

"That's right, kiddo." He took a small card from his pocket and handed it to the officer, then pointed to it. "That's my proof of registration for the adoption process."

The officer looked the card over. "So you haven't adopted him yet?"

"I finished this morning. I was on my way back to the adoption center."

"I can drive you," the officer said.

"Thank you," Finnick said, getting into the back of the cruiser with Nick. The officer started the car and pulled from the curb.

* * *

"And that's how I went into Finnick's custody for ten years." Nick shrugs. "I thought of my mom every day of that." He stares at the wall, then blinks a few times. The dam suddenly bursts. He lowers his head, face twisted to sob, and he cries out. Judy quickly rounds the table and takes him in her arms. She just holds him for several minutes.

"What was she like?"

He turns his head and lays it on her shoulder. "You know that feeling when you get in bed after a long, exhausting day?"

She strokes his ear. "Yes."

"That's how she felt. Inseparable." He closes his eyes. "She loved me so much."

 _I do too_. "Who couldn't love Nick?"

He manages a smile. "I swear, Carrots, if you make your flirting any subtler..."

"So you _want_ me to get flirty on you?"

"It'd be a demeaned mistake not to."

She laughs, stroking his ear again. "Okay." She rolls her mouth. "Gee, this is a lot easier when it's natural."

"Let me go first." He sits up from her. "You look at me again, Carrots, and I'll probably melt."

"Okay. You're like the sun. When you're here, I love your warmth and light."

"Great one, Carrots." He nods.

"You try, Mr. Love Expert."

"I will, in fact." He clears his throat. "Yesterday when I lost Finnick, my best moment was when I got to put my arm over your shoulders."

She laughs. "Oh, gee." She looks at the clock. "Want to play those games?"

"Sure. The night's your canvas."

"Well, if you put it that way..." She takes her phone from her pocket and taps a few times. She plugs the cord extending from the TV into her phone. She taps on her phone, and music immediately fills the room. "Stand up, Nick."

"What's your idea, Carrots?"

She holds out her paws. "I'll show you." He takes her paws, and she gestures to their feet. "Move your right foot right, then slide the left over, like this." She shows him the movement. "Then do the opposite: left over, right slide." She does that. "Just make sure you mirror my movements, okay? I go right, you go left."

"You're teaching me to dance, aren't you?"

"Why not? It's a wonderful skill to learn." She smiles. "Okay, let's try this." She waits for the right moment to come, then she starts. Nick mirrors her movements decently the first time, albeit awkwardly at first. "Okay, let's add the twirl. All you need to do is raise your left arm."

He does. Judy twirls in his grasp and rejoins his paws. "See?"

"What else?"

"Let's see if you can do this without dropping me." She gestures to herself. "Hold my sides, pick me up, and swing me toward your stomach, like a swing."

Nick picks her up by the sides and swings her toward his stomach, and she spreads her legs, falling back and landing on her feet. "Usually that's done at the end of a couple's dance."

Nick looks at her, lightly panting. "All right, I think that's enough dancing for now." He plops onto the couch, chest going up and down with each breath. After a minute he said, "Let's do something else."

They do. They play a Christmas word game from Judy's phone, complemented with a glass of eggnog for Nick and a mug of hot chocolate for Judy; they also play a Guess the Song game, taken from the top shelf in Nick's closet and Judy's phone; finally, the two enjoy a Christmas classic, "Left Home," Nick enjoying yet another cup of eggnog and the two sharing a bowl of cinnamon sugar-dusted popcorn. When that concludes, it is eight thirty, but neither half of the pair is eager to get to bed just yet.

When Judy shuts off the television and sits on the couch, picking for pieces of popcorn in the near-empty bowl on her lap, Nick stands and disappears into the hallway. She waits for the bathroom door to close, considering he'd consumed three cups of eggnog that day, but it never does; rather, a door closes farther down the hall, and Judy knows better than to suspect that the bathroom door.

Nick appears, walking down the hall toward the living room. As he approaches, Judy can't help but eye a moderately-sized present sitting on his palms. It has glossy red paper with gold stripes centered on each side of the box and has a white tag stuck to the top of it. It also sports a purple bow, a peculiar color to try to complement the other two.

He sits on an adjacent seat cushion and holds the box still in his paws. "Merry Christmas, Carrots." He passes it to her, eyes following the gift as if he is sad to see it go.

"You just couldn't wait, could you?"

"I guess not. Now open it before I second guess this decision."

"Don't rush me, you fuzzy-wuzzy fox." She grasps a hanging fold on the box, then pulls it up and rips a part of the paper off. Judy's eyes widen, and she gasps at the sight. "Nick."

Nick smirks. "What?"

"I love it."

* * *

 **Update 1/2/19: I realized I wrote the chapter in past tense. I fixed it, so no, you're not going crazy. Hopefully you enjoyed the New Year's festivities. Expect updates soon.**


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